Creativity Prompts for Writers, Journalers, Artists and Speakers

The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU), started with no political agenda but is widely regarded as having spurred a revolution in Czechoslovakia. The band started in 1968, the same year that Prague was invaded by Soviet tanks to shut down the liberalization known as the Prague spring. The new communist government suppressed free speech, imprisoning many musicians,. The PPU were forbidden by the government on several occasions to play, not because of any inflammatory lyric content, but because of their long hair and emulation of capitalist bands like the Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa. (The band took their name from a Zappa song.) In 1970, the government revoked PPU’s musician licenses, which made it impossible for them to get equipment or gigs; they had to play underground concerts to avoid government detection and arrest. –The World in Six Songs by Daniel J. Levitin

Fiction Writing Prompt: Write a story in which music creates change.

Journaling Prompt: What song made you think about the world in a different way? Write about what you learned from the song.

Art Prompt: Protest Music

Non-Fiction / Speechwriting Prompt: Tell your audience about the history of protest music in your country.